Eurasianism And Russia's Diplomacy After The Cold War

There were several different schools of thought in Russia's search for its own national identity. Eurasianism is a representative. Eurasianism came through its rise, silence and renewal. It was a theoretic exploration based on the special geopolitical foundation of Eurasia as well as the outcome of the unique history and culture of Russia.The development of Eurasianism has played a vital role in the forming of Russia's diplomatic ideal. There are three phases in the development of Russia's foreign policy after the cold war - the Boris Yeltsin era, the Vladimir Putin era, and the Putin-Medvedev era. After the frustration of the pro-Western policy in Yeltsin era, Russia's foreign policy transformed to the omni-bearing diplomacy, in the process of which neo-Eurasianism played an unnegligible role and had a further impact on Putin era. With the outbreak of the Iraq War, Russia's foreign policy became more active after 2004. Russia opposed the unilateralism of the US, pursued a multi-polar world, developed its foreign relations with Asia-Pacific countries. As an independent power, Russia played a role with increasing importance in regional affairs. Dmitry Medvedev became the president of Russia in May 2008, inheriting Putin's foreign policy. He emphasized the state interest, made a cautious and moderate gesture, and also showed his hawkish diplomacy of 'reality plus preventability' on some issues.It can be seen that the development of Russia's foreign policy after the cold war is a response to the collapse of USSR - the geopolitical disaster of the century. Neo-Eurasianism affects the whole process of Russia's diplomacy as an abandonment of Atlanticism and Nationalism. With the influence of neo-Eurasianism, Russia's diplomacy is characterized by non-opposability, balance, pragmaticism, independence and initiative.The Sino-Russian relations go well basically under the influence of Eurasianism. Especially in Putin era, the boundary problems between China and Russia have been resolved; the cooperation in economy, trade, and culture area have been strengthened; the collaboration in SCO and anti-terrorism have been deepened. But the Sino-Russian relations are still restricted by many factors, such as the emigration problems, 'the China Threat' Theory, the weakness of the economic cooperation, the clash of the diplomatic cultures, etc. In the end, seeking common ground while reserving differences and reinforcing the guidance are essential to ensure the sound development of Sino-Russian relations.